MASTER STROKE
Discover A. Lange & Söhne
Roughly two centuries ago, the German town of Glashütte was nothing more than an isolated village tucked away in an eastern corner of the country. Today, the city is universally recognised as the cradle of the precision watchmaking industry.
Over the years, numerous watchmaking houses have based their manufactories in this Saxon town, further cementing its status as a focal point for the watchmaking world. But it is all thanks to the courageous step a young clockmaker took in the 1800s, forever altering the fate of Glashütte.
December 7, 1845, marked a turning point in the history of the town, when Ferdinand Adolph Lange established a humble pocket watch manufactory and teaching workshop. In doing so, he laid the cornerstone for Glashütte to rise to prominence as a watchmaking hub.
Starting out with 15 apprentices, F.A. Lange’s work took the watchmaking industry places, elevating the manufactory to new heights, far beyond the borders of Germany. He initiated the practice of division of labour, which was uncommon for its time, to enable the production of unique timepieces. He encouraged his employees to establish their own companies, allowing the trade to thrive. He developed modern production methods by uniting keen craftsmanship with technology, with the sole aim of putting Saxony on the map as the birthplace of the world’s finest watches.
F.A. Lange is also credited with introducing the metric system to watchmaking and creating novel measuring instruments and tools. Through his life’s work, he developed countless ingenious mechanisms and watchmaking solutions, many of which he registered for patents. As a matter of course, he went on to achieve unprecedented success in the industry.
Now, decades later, the maison is still a revered brand among collectors and watch aficionados. And in commemoration of the 175-year anniversary since the start of precision watchmaking in Glashütte, the watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne have introduced a new collection.
Inspired by their founder’s life’s work, the collection honours F.A. Lange’s contributions to the world of watchmaking and is, therefore, aptly named after him. Bearing the epithet “Homage to F. A. Lange”, the 1815 Thin Honeygold, the Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold and the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold made their debut at the Watches & Wonders event in Shanghai in September 2020.
The 1815 tribute
The new anniversary edition models are additions to the maison’s highly soughtafter 1815 family of timepieces – the digits being a reference to the birth year of F.A. Lange. A fitting move, given that the timepieces belonging to the 1815 line are a nod to its founder’s pioneering watchmaking ideas, a reflection of his prodigious flair and a tribute to his timeless quest for perfection.
Each of the timepieces belonging to the 1815 family bears a striking aesthetic that transports the spirit of F.A. Lange’s early pocket watches to its modern-day mechanical creations. Considered complete works of art, these watches possess an understated elegance and are of lasting value.
The dial arrangement is restrained yet intricate, featuring many of the design elements found on its historic pocket watches. These include clearly legible Arabic numerals and the railway-track peripheral minute scale.
A glimpse through the sapphire-crystal case back also reveals the personality of the 1815 models. Ticking away is a meticulously decorated high-precision movement, equipped with classically engineered watchmaking complications.
The large three-quarter plate in untreated German silver provides extra stability for the movement and is accompanied by traditional Lange features such
The new anniversary edition models belong to the maison’s highly sought-after 1815 family of timepieces
as the hand-engraved balance cock, the whiplash spring for beat adjustment, the traditional screw balance and gold chatons fixed with thermally blued screws.
Embodying all these signature characteristics of the 1815 line, each of the newly-introduced timepieces features unique movement decorations and special dials dedicated to the pioneer himself. The watches represent a unique connection between traditional watchmaking elements and innovative craftsmanship, thus bridging the brand’s historic origins with its present.
The unifying element of the three new limited edition models is the innovative case material, honey gold, a patented alloy which nods to the manufactory’s eternal quest for new metallurgical discoveries using gold.
Golden touch
Until the dawn of the last decade, A. Lange & Söhne rendered their collections solely in gold and platinum. But this was soon set to change, with the maison’s relentless search for substances that exhibited more scratch-resistant properties finally bearing fruit.
Metallurgical research with gold has always been popular in Saxony and experiments using the metal are often associated with the long-standing tradition of alchemy. But the German manufacture has maintained a strictly scientific approach to its involvement with the metal. Their years of research yielded an alloy with a distinct colour that hovered between yellow and pink gold.
The metal proved to be more scratch resistant than gold or platinum and was harder than commonly used gold alloys. To describe its unique gloss and warm hue, the maison turned to nature for an analogy. The formula was then patented and it came to be known as honey gold, as it was reminiscent of the sweet liquid produced by bees.
For the wearer, an A. Lange & Söhne timepiece rendered in honey gold is a symbol of pride. Promising absolute elegance and incredible damage resistance, it is the ideal choice for collectors. Behind the scenes, however, the material poses immense challenges during the manufacturing process.
From a purely chemical point of view, honey gold is an 18-carat alloy composed of 75 percent fine gold. Its extraordinary hardness is a result of exposing the alloy to an array of thermic treatments. But this makes it extremely difficult to shape and finish. The material is, therefore, reserved for the maison’s most exclusive timepieces.
Since 2010, A. Lange & Söhne has introduced 11 limitededition timepieces with the honey-coloured, patented material, including the trio of watches introduced in the newly launched Homage to F. A. Lange collection.
Technical excellence
While each of the timepieces from the new collection boasts unprecedented technical expertise, two of the watches – the Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold and the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold – champion the maison’s love for chronographs featuring highly complex developments.
Among his endless inventory of achievements, F.A. Lange is also the man behind the brand’s first chronograph, which he created in 1868. It had a single pusher that allowed the chronograph hand to be started, stopped and reset to zero, setting a new benchmark in the industry. Any new calibre proceeding this function would, therefore, have to not only live up to its innovative excellence but also surpass it.
So, in 1994, following the company’s first successful presentation of new timepieces, after its 20th-century revival by F.A. Lange’s grandson, Walter Lange, the maison made it a top priority to develop its proprietary chronograph calibre. Five years later, the Datograph made a successful debut, gradually becoming A. Lange & Söhne’s symbol of its quest for innovation.
Today, its movement is considered by industry experts and connoisseurs to be one of the most beautiful chronograph calibres. Subsequent to its success, the house achieved new heights in chronograph design, inspired by the original chronograph, which is honoured even today with the new Homage to F. A. Lange collection.
To browse the collection, visit the A. Lange & Söhne boutiques in The Dubai Mall 04 3253923
or Mall of the Emirates 04 5471860 or alange-soehne.com
The new watches are rendered in honey gold, the patented material reserved for the maison’s most exclusive timepieces